"No eat him! No eat her!" the tiger trainer kept saying as Eric and I petted 19-month-old Sunflower, a full-sized tiger. At times I would look up and realize that, as I petted one tiger, there were two others within springing distance.
Of course, there was something unnatural about the harmlessness of these animals. If petting "tame" tigers in a center is safe and ethical, why don't people do it more often? I'm not sure, but tigers are magnificent creatures and I'm glad that I got the chance to get so close to them--and even more glad that they didn't eat me.
But petting the tigers wasn't even the highlight of the day. Oh no. That came later, when Eric and I spent a lazy evening listening to live music, sipping drinks, and chatting.
Wednesday Cooking School
Is it weird that the restaurant I've missed missed most during my year in Asia is a Thai place in San Francisco? Right. I've definitely got my continents straight. Luckily, the Thai food in Thailand is pretty good, too. I was way excited for Thai cooking school today.
My day-long meal included pad thai, papaya salad, stir-fried chicken with cashews, panyang curry, and mango sticky rice. Plus, we learned how to carve flowers out of carrots like they do in Thai restaurants (let's just say I probably shouldn't quit my day job anytime soon. Oh wait.)
The biggest lesson of the day: Thai people have a big-time sweet tooth. No wonder I like this food so much. My panyang curry had a whopping three tablespoons of sugar in it, for a one-person serving. Even the more intense jungle curry (which packed around 20 chillies into a one-person serving) had a tablespoon. I can't wait to make this food at home! And, hey, if it doesn't work out, there's always that great San Francisco Thai restaurant.
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